CSI Mini Storage

I am last 2 years renting a storage and I am very happy with service and best price.

Honestly– this company was great until I had to deal with the office staff. I have never been treated so rudely than I have by a woman named Joanna who works there. The general manager sat there and watched her be completely rude to me. I had just paid them $ 535 the day before and they treated me like a was a nuisance and they didn’t want my business in the least. She was LESS than professional or helpful. When I called the following day to get the owners name, Jaonna answered the phone and when I asked her name, she hung up on me. I will NEVER give my hard earned money to a company that thinks it’s ok to treat customers this way. I’m sure there are other storage companies out there that would be happy to be kind to me and I would much rather spend my money in places where I won’t get hassled unneccessarily when I’m trying to conduct my business or talked down to by the staff.

Incredibly inexpensive (literally half the price of Extra Space Storage in Berkeley which also has a mandatory extra charge for insurance). They arrived on time to pick up my stuff for free. The first 2 months are half price. Great, clean unit. What else could you want? The only small con is that they are about a 15 minute drive from my house; I’m in their area frequently so it’s no big deal at all.

Pros:
I was able to get a 40 foot container with LIGHTS and POWER for a great price, and they advertise that YOU CAN USE IT FOR A PROJECT SPACE! I don’t know of another local vendor offering such a thing, only more expensive small industrial spaces such as Activespace. One of my neighbors has a small robot manufacturing shop in his container.
My container stayed dry inside throughout the El Niño rains of 2016.
The on-​site handyman, Jose, is excellent and CSI had better be nice to him or I’m hiring him away from them! What a hard worker, you can see him busy all over the facility all of the time. I had to use his services when one of my own locks jammed shut inside of one of those armor boxes, locking me out of the container. I got instant service! He had to cut the lock with an oxy-​acetylene torch, and I got the standard charge of only $ 10 for that.
Once I left off one of the required locks during a short break and the facility caught it in an inspection and put their own lock on. I called them, and Jose came around to take it off right away. You must have a lock in the lock box, and a lock on the bars of the right side.
I looked pretty carefully, and didn’t see any theft reports. It is a sad reality that many storage thefts are inside jobs of the facility employees. But the CSI folks all seem very nice, and not at all like the skanky folks I’ve met on the staff at some other storage facilities. CSI seems to have the budget and management necessary to avoid staff problems.
Cons:
In an attempt to cover their risk, their contract says you’re not to store more than $ 5000 worth of items in their units without written authorization. That’s not realistic. They offer some sort of storage insurance, but in my case it would cost as much per month as the storage unit itself.
I do see some security problems at the facility: other vehicles often blow through the security gate without entering their own code when I am entering or exiting. Sometimes people are walking around the facility who might work there, but are not wearing any obvious identification. And once I saw two high school kids wearing backpacks who appeared to be walking through the supposedly-​secure storage lot, past my unit, on their way home from school.
The disk locks they sell in the front office are probably adequate, but they seem to be in packages that have been opened previously. Perhaps CSI has copied the keys for their own convenience. I replaced mine with Abus Diskus locks with the «Plus» cylinder, and was able to buy 5 keyed the same. These are more difficult to pick than the conventional lock, requiring a tool specific to the brand. Nothing is going tor resist that oxy-​acetylene torch or something that can saw the door bars, so ultimately we depend on the facility security.
There are a few porta-​potties available for customers on the lot. That’s a little skimpy, they have enough space in their buildings on the site to offer customers a real toilet. Especially when they are marketing project spaces.
I did not use the move-​in service. From the commentary of other customers it’s clear that it is just a truck and perhaps two guys who won’t enter your home. You’d better be ready with everything packed and on the curb when it arrives. And of course they have no incentive to help you move out, so don’t expect their truck then. For most people, hiring cheap local movers would be a better idea.

I am really pleased by my experience with CSI Mini Storage thus far. Last week, we visited the facility to check out the storage units. The office was staffed by a friendly woman named Darling, who answered all of our questions patiently and explained everything to us in an honest and straightforward manner without any pressure to upgrade to a bigger unit, etc. When the time came to view the spaces, a quiet older gentleman named Jose took us around in a golf cart. He patiently showed us a couple of units, and when he overheard me express some concerns to my partner about some ants I saw marching through the first unit, he immediately broke in to reassure us that he’d get that addressed right away. Indeed, as he drove us to view the second unit, he paused by one of the workers who was up on the roof of one of the storage containers and sent him to the first unit to take care of the ants issue asap.
My favorite thing about CSI, though, is the free moving service. The day we needed to move our stuff, three workers showed up in a large box truck. They called ahead to let us know they were on their way and showed up promptly at 9am. The three men, Robinson, Chuy, and Jose, were super friendly (not only to us but to each other, laughing and joking as they worked, which reflects positively on CSI – the staff are all really NICE, which is so refreshing), and they worked VERY quickly and efficiently (as in they blocked three hours in the morning for us and finished everything in less than 90 minutes, from the moment I opened my apartment door to the moment we slid the storage unit door shut). They handled all of our furniture very carefully and used large furniture blankets and straps to keep our furniture secure in the truck so that nothing would get damaged. When they moved heavy items, they called each other for help and slowed down when going up/​down stairs and through tight spaces.
I saw the review that Renee D. wrote below, and I can understand how frustrated she must have felt. However, I think she had an unlucky experience with one worker who was dishonest and ruined the company for everyone. I spoke with the movers after they were finished and asked if they did moving work on the side, because I wanted to get their contact information so that I could hire them for my move out of the storage unit next year. They thanked me for the positive feedback but politely declined because they said that after the Renee review was posted, all of the CSI movers were asked not to take side jobs anymore.
I understand why CSI would ask that of their movers, but I think it kind of sucks. I doubt these workers are able to make a ton of money doing free moves on behalf of CSI Mini Storage, so it seems harsh to forbid them from taking on side jobs during their free time, especially when they’re so nice and do such a good job! Plus, I WANT to hire these three guys for future moves, and because of Renee’s experience, I will need to keep hunting for good movers. Boo…
Anyway, tl;dr: CSI Mini Storage in Richmond has friendly, honest, hard-​working staff and their facilities are generally clean, secure, and well-​priced.

They as a facility are just fine… but…their employee, told me, early July, that he would get a crew together and move my things (entire household) out of my storage unit from Richmond to my new home in Monterey on August 30 for $ 1000 because I had told him I had someone who would do it for $ 1500. I have it in writing. I called him today to confirm the move and he said he was busy on Saturday. I reminded him of the agreement he said he would call me back. He called back and said he would do it for $ 1300. He knew I was in a bind and was now trying to take advantage of that. I told him NO! What a jerk! Some people’s word is worthless. Now I’ll be in an empty house. I bet his boss doesn’t know he does that on the side. Well, pay attention because he is hurting your business. Be sure to read the not recommended reviews.

CSI MIni Storage is great. I had to move from a house to a much smaller place, so put my things in storage for what I thought would be two months – ended up being two years. They came and moved my items in for free (and the movers were fast). The first two months were 50% off. My storage unit was a smaller 8×8 and wasn’t climate controlled, but it was clean, affordable and served my needs. The office staff is very pleasant – I’ve had nothing but a great experience with CSI Mini Storage. I’ve finally been able to move my belongings out of storage and back into a house, but I would use CSI Mini Storage again if I needed a storage facility.

We’re thoroughly impressed with CSI Mini Storage. Three nice movers came and packed our belongings into the truck in about 30 minutes (for a 1 bedroom apt) and unpacked it into the storage unit in another 30 minutes — incredibly fast. And it’s a bargain, given the 50% off two months, the low monthly fee, the move in assistance, and lack of additional hidden fees.

Newly married, we decided to consolidate our two households worth of stored stuff at CSI Mini-​Storage in Richmond. There, we’ll sort out, merge and cull with enough space, no time crush — in a clean, secure location. CSI came and moved FREE our smaller pile of stuff, exactly at advertised, from our former, Public Storage bin. Our other stuff (a HUGE pile) was moved TO CSI by our prior moving & storage company.
Our entire experience with CSI has been EXCELLENT. They are polite, together, clear, fair ~ and keep their commitments. They follow up with phone calls. Their moving crew (for our one lot, formerly at Public Storage) was great. The office staff is polite, knows their operation and totally helpful.
For now (while we’re sorting) we’re renting TWO 8’x40’ containers. Both are obviously recently renovated (repainted, re-​caulked — AND CSI has added florescent lighting and AC power. (Hard to sort stuff in the dark!) Everything is clean and in great working order. And as promised, they gave us a 50% discount for the first 60 days. Wow.
The owner (Michael) practically «lives» on the site — this is one storage company that’s family-​owned and operated, not just another money-​grubbing cog for a huge greedy corporation (like Public Storage, which raised our rates over 20% a year, three years running.) I’m not interested in subsidizing the «1%» — and the on-​site staff at Public Storage is a bunch of VERY unhappy (and «give-​a-​crap») campers.
So – check out CSI Mini Storage in Richmond. They’re terrific, affordable, fair and great to work with. Thanks Michael, Harvey
.

I wanted to take the time to write this review because I am very happy with CSI Mini Storage. I just moved my stuff in today. I chose CSI after hours of searching for a storage company online. I was attracted by their «move you in free» service. I will go into detail about that.
I had emailed the company a few weeks ago and immediately received an informative reply in regards the questions I had with pricing and the move in service.
I called to schedule an appointment for 9 am. I live in Berkeley but I also made a trip to CSI to check out the units and the facility. It seemed very safe with gates requiring a code to enter, cameras, and clean hardwood floor units.
I take reviews pretty seriously, and having read the reviews, I was sure to follow the advice of other members as well as the information provided on their website. I made sure EVERYTHING was ready to go before the movers came. All my furniture was padded with styrofoam, mattress was placed in a plastic cover, all items placed in boxes, and flat items saran wrapped together to make it easier to move. I also parked my car on the street in a spot closest to my apartment as soon as it became available so when I saw the truck, I moved my car and the truck pulled up. It states that the entrance to the door of the house/​apt and the truck must be within 200 feet.
The two men who came to move my belongings were 30 minutes late. I was on the verge of giving them a call to make sure they were still coming. The gentlemen apologized for being late and said there was a lot of traffic. Fortunately, this wasn’t a problem for me because I was free all day. But to others, it might be. So this is the ONLY reason I took away 1 star. They were very efficient, friendly, and considerate. I am 33 weeks pregnant, and when I pushed my boxes closer to them to make things more convenient for them, they insisted I didn’t do anything.
When the men were done loading my things, I followed them to the facility to take care of paperwork. Everyone in the office was very friendly and nice. I felt like I could get away with a smaller unit than I was quoted for. And the moving men seemed to agree. I never felt pressured to take a bigger unit. They seemed determined to make it fit into the 8.5×8 unit which I wanted.
The movers efficiently placed all my belongings into my unit. I did bring old blankets to lay down on the hardwood floor so my furniture didn’t get scratched up. My unit had a lock, but you can also add your own lock. When all is said and done, my move went smoothly. The «move you in for free» really is free. PLEASE tip the men. I gave them $ 17 each which was less than they deserved but all I had on me. The first 2 months 50% off really was true. I only paid $ 40 for my first month. I anticipate leaving my things in storage for 2 – 3 months until I return to the bay area. With the service and pricing of CSI, I don’t mind leaving my things there longer if need be.

I seldom take the time to write reviews, but my experience with CSI Richmond was so great that I just had to. This is the place for your storage needs and their pricing and their free pick up service is unmatched.
I had to move out of a large condo in San Francisco and did not know where I would be moving to and checked out local storage places. With CSI, from the onset, dealing with Harvey was one of the best customer service experiences I have ever had, in almost any business. He absolutely did everything he could to ensure that i would be satisfied with their service and storage business. When the truck they sent was not big enough, they scheduled another to come and pick up the remainder of my place and then took the time to empty the already stored unit to add the final materials and to make it so I was able to access the most needed in the best way. The pick up guys, under Harvey’s management, Robinson, Samuel Antonio and Gerardo ALL had the attitude that they would do whatever it takes to please the customer; virtually no questions asked. Just an incredible team of guys who wanted to please.
You just cannot ask for a better experience than what I had, and the company should be proud to have these individuals working for them. You cannot do better!

They sounded really, really great. We were pretty excited about their free moving as we’d checked out their website, so we went up to take a look. It looked like a nice facility, they were super nice, they said the movers would be there at 9 on Monday, «Just have everything ready to go.» We were sold.
We spent the weekend packing so everything would be all set for their arrival. They said they’d be sending three guys. We had all the boxes stacked up in our living room, tables and console-​type stuff shrink-​wrapped, mirrors padded, couch/​chair in big plastic bags. We were up until 3 am getting everything totally ready. I went out and got donuts for them because moving is hard work and I’m a good hostess.
At 9 (they were very prompt, I’ll give them that) the two, not three, guys they sent arrived and were shocked — SHOCKED — that we didn’t have all of our stuff sitting out on the curb for them to load into the truck. Uh, what?! No one told us to do that! When we called the office, they pretty much told us we were full of shit, and to have the head mover call them back. My husband overheard the office guy telling the mover that we were full of shit as well.
Since it wasn’t the movers’ fault and they showed no inclination to do much besides shrug, we told them to go, no point in pretending to discuss it with the office. And now we will spend another day in a maze of boxes waiting for a proper moving company to come tomorrow.
But here’s what their website says — nothing about putting your stuff out on the sidewalk:
_​_​_​_​
Free Move In Service
Yes, Free!
Let us move it for you.
Take advantage of our free move in service.
Just call our toll free number to schedule your move today
Our friendly moving Specialists will come to your home with a 16′ box truck.
We load onto truck and unload at storage (we do two pickups a day at either 9
am or 1 pm, Seven days a week).
Please have all items boxed and ready to go.
—–
Unfortunately, we’re storing everything including a car, and this place is great for storing cars, so we’ll probably use them anyway instead of telling CSI and their shifty manager to suck it. I’m certain there will be no discount for their miscommunication/​our moving costs either.

I’ve had my stuff there for about six months now. It’s all been pretty convenient. I went with them because they came to my apartment and picked up my stuff with THEIR OWN TRUCK and moved it into my storage FOR FREE (Except for the tip for the great service)! Was sooo easy and perfect for me.
You also get the first month free if you pay for the second month. SO, basically they came, took my stuff, and I didn’t have to worry about anything for three months.
I will give them five stars when they can take monthly payments automatically from my bank account. This day and age, I don’t like writing checks every month.

(Updated: 29 June, 2007) I came here because I am leaving the country for a long time and they were the cheapest place I could find. It really did look too good to be true when I read that they come to get your stuff for free and then also give you the first month free once you pay the second. But as I student I am poor and, even if it was shady, I thought, who really wants to steal 60 boxes of books anyway?
Well, they came today and carted my stuff away. I had a 9 am appointment at they were there are exactly 9. Three strong, nice, polite men came in and literally had all my stuff in a 8.5×12 foot container by 11:30. Did I mention I lived on the third floor?* They then brought me with them (since I do not have a car) and showed me my options. They said that they could fit all my stuff in an 8 X 8 container but that it would be completely full then and hard to get to. So I chose the 8.5×12 and there is room to get at everything.
*(Read my review of Starving Students Movers to see why I am still in awe of this).
The place seems very secure and all the people were super nice. I was afraid that the containers would be hot inside but they were not really any warmer than most un-​airconditioned rooms. The place looks immaculately maintained and there is 24 hour security onsite.
While I was checking in, a very bubbly woman who was originally from Norway came into the office to take her stuff out of storage after 5 years. She had finally bought a house in the city. She said, unprompted, «Oh! you will be very happy here! This is a great place!
Oh, and when all the paperwork was done, one of the men drove me to the BART station (since I don’t have a car) so I could get home!
I can’t quite figure out how they can give such good deals (my 8.5×12 is 115 a month, the 8×8 would have been 89) plus the moving, plus the free month, but maybe it is because they are really out of the way in Richmond (and Alameda). (They say it is worth it to come move you in because most people never realize that their stuff will be in storage much longer than they think it will… that makes sense).
I am very happy with my decision and so am passing the word along.